1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piping structure for an air conditioner, and more particularly to a piping structure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, designed to minimize influence of a vibration from a compressor by changing a shape of pipings in a way that the pipings are branched and joined in the air conditioner with looped pipings.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, a compressor refers to a machine used to compress a gaseous medium in various fields. The compressor used in the air conditioner where compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation are sequentially generated is used for compression.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a conventional air conditioner.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 10 disposed outdoors to make a heat exchange with outdoor air, an indoor unit 20 disposed indoors to condition indoor air, and a connection piping 30 for connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.
To be more specific, the outdoor unit 10 is a means for transforming a gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, which is introduced from the indoor unit 20, into a liquid refrigerant while a heat exchange with outdoor air takes place. The outdoor unit 10 is composed of a compressor 11, a condenser 12 and an expansion valve 13.
Further, the compressor 11 is a member by which the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure which is introduced from the indoor unit 20 is transformed into a gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure. The condenser 12 is a member by which the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure is transformed into a liquid refrigerant of intermediate temperature and high pressure. The expansion valve 13 is a member by which the liquid refrigerant of intermediate temperature and high pressure is transformed into a liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure.
Here, the condenser 12 is a member where a heat exchange with the outdoor air is directly made, and is provided with a separate fan 12a in order to attract the outdoor air.
Meanwhile, an evaporator 21 of the indoor unit 20, in which the liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure changed through the components of the outdoor unit 10 is transformed into the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, causes the indoor temperature to be lowered by the evaporation heat at this time.
The indoor unit 20 includes the evaporator 21 by which the liquid refrigerant of low temperature and pressure is transformed into the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure, and a fan 21a. The connection piping 30 is a member for connecting the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 so as to force the refrigerant to be circulated, and is appropriately disposed according to a distance between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20.
By the way, there occurs a lot of vibration from the compressor 11 located at the outdoor unit 10 during compression. Such vibration is transmitted to other members via intake and discharge pipings which are connected to the compressor 11. The transmission of the vibration generated from the compressor 11 results in vibrating the whole air conditioner. Thus, it is necessary to take a measure to cope with this problem. As a result, it has been proposed to increase a length of the pipings by looping or to apply a lumped mass element to the pipings.
For instance, in another piping structure around the compressor according to the prior art, the pipings 152 and 153 (as shown in FIG. 2) connected to the compressor are looped, and then are provided with a separate lumped mass element 140. The gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure introduced from the indoor unit (not shown) enters the outdoor unit through an external piping connected to a service valve 110, and then the gaseous refrigerant of low temperature and pressure introduced in this manner is subjected to removal of its liquid component by means of an accumulator 130, compression at the compressor 150, and conversion into the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure, and enters the condenser.
Meanwhile, the compressor 150 generates serious vibration during a compression process. This vibration is transmitted to other components of the air, conditioner via intake and discharge pipings 152 and 153 connected to the compressor 150. For this reason, it is necessary to regulate such vibration. In order to regulate transmission of the vibration, the pipings must be lengthened. This lengthening is solved by looping of the pipings, and additionally by mounting the lumped mass element 140 made of an elastic material such as a rubber to a desired location of the looped pipings. In general, the lumped mass element 140 is located at a lower end of the looped intake and discharge pipings 152 and 153 of the compressor 150.
Further, all the pipings connected to both the compressor 150 and the accumulator 130 pass through a reversing coil 120, and thereby the vibration is suppressed. Here, the reversing coil 120 is disposed in a rear upper space of the system so as not to interfere the intake and discharge pipings. Inlet and outlet of the reversing coil 120 are oriented downward.
Meanwhile, the looping of the intake piping 152 is adapted to linearly face upward by beginning with the accumulator 130 to be bent in a reverse U shape and then in an L shape at the reversing coil 120 in an upward direction. The looping of the discharge piping 153 is adapted to linearly face upward by beginning with a discharging part to be bent in a reverse U shape and then in an U shape along a base side again, and finally in an L shape at the reversing coil 120.
Further, a gaseous refrigerant tube 151 for transporting the gaseous refrigerant introduced into the compressor 150 is directly connected to the reversing coil 120 without any looping, and is also connected to the service valve 110 in consideration of connection with the external piping.
However, in the conventional piping structure around the compressor as mentioned above, the piping structure has a weak strength in an up and down direction as a whole. Further, in the case of application to an inverter air conditioner, the piping structure fails to actively cope with a wide range of specific frequency depending on operation condition of the air conditioner. Thus, this results in a problem in that energy of the vibration generated from the compressor and then transmitted to the whole outdoor unit can not be efficiently damped.